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33. Exercise For Wound Healing

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Healing Wounds, Healthy Skin
This chapter is in the book Healing Wounds, Healthy Skin
23633Exercise for Wound HealingYou’ve heard it before: exercise is good for you. It helps you lose weight, stay fl exible, keeps you strong, and reduces the risk of many health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. What you may not have heard before is that exercise also probably helps your wounds heal faster.One study found that regular exercise may speed up wound- healing by as much as 25 percent. In this study, the participants began with ten minutes of warm-up fl oor exercises and stretching, followed by thirty minutes of pedaling on a stationary bike. After that, participants either jogged or walked briskly on a treadmill for fi fteen minutes, followed by about fi fteen minutes of strength training. All sessions ended with fi ve minutes of cool-down exercises. At the end of the study, the research-ers found that skin wounds healed an average of ten days faster in the people who exercised.Another study compared wound-healing rates between older adults caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease to rates of older adults who weren’t caregivers. Wounds among caregivers took about 20 percent longer to completely heal than the noncaregivers’ wounds. Caregivers may take longer to heal because of the amount of emotional and physical stress they are under, and also because they are probably not taking care of themselves (by eating well and exercising) as well as they are taking care of their loved one.No matter what type of wound you may have, there is most likely some form of exercise that will help you heal.
© Yale University Press, New Haven

23633Exercise for Wound HealingYou’ve heard it before: exercise is good for you. It helps you lose weight, stay fl exible, keeps you strong, and reduces the risk of many health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. What you may not have heard before is that exercise also probably helps your wounds heal faster.One study found that regular exercise may speed up wound- healing by as much as 25 percent. In this study, the participants began with ten minutes of warm-up fl oor exercises and stretching, followed by thirty minutes of pedaling on a stationary bike. After that, participants either jogged or walked briskly on a treadmill for fi fteen minutes, followed by about fi fteen minutes of strength training. All sessions ended with fi ve minutes of cool-down exercises. At the end of the study, the research-ers found that skin wounds healed an average of ten days faster in the people who exercised.Another study compared wound-healing rates between older adults caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease to rates of older adults who weren’t caregivers. Wounds among caregivers took about 20 percent longer to completely heal than the noncaregivers’ wounds. Caregivers may take longer to heal because of the amount of emotional and physical stress they are under, and also because they are probably not taking care of themselves (by eating well and exercising) as well as they are taking care of their loved one.No matter what type of wound you may have, there is most likely some form of exercise that will help you heal.
© Yale University Press, New Haven

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments xi
  4. Healing Your Wound: The Top Ten Myths Dispelled xiii
  5. Preface xvii
  6. Part One: When You Have A Wound That Won’T Heal
  7. 1. How Wounds Heal 5
  8. 2. Recognizing Your Fears 10
  9. 3. Creating Your Health-Care Team: It Takes A Village 16
  10. 4. Your Initial Visit With The Wound Team 24
  11. Part Two: Pressure Sores
  12. 5. Why Do Pressure Sores Happen? 35
  13. 6. Prevention Is Always Best 46
  14. 7. Beds And Cushions: Expensive Is Not Always Best 55
  15. Part Three: Foot Wounds: Diabetes And Beyond
  16. 8. The Foot Wound That Doesn't Hurt 67
  17. 9. Shoes And Socks: When What You Wear Can Be The Best Medicine 76
  18. Part Four: Blood Circulation: Essential For Healing
  19. 10. Venous Wounds: Dealing With Foot And Leg Wounds If Your Circulation Is Good 87
  20. 11. Arterial Wounds: Dealing With Foot And Leg Wounds If Your Circulation Is Poor 94
  21. 12. Swelling: What Your Achy Feet Are Telling You 103
  22. Part Five: Acute Wounds
  23. 13. Healing After Surgery 113
  24. 14. Traumatic Wounds: Burns, Cuts, And More 120
  25. Part Six: Nonhealing Wounds
  26. 15. Infected Wounds 129
  27. 16. Unusual Wounds 133
  28. 17. Still Not Healing ... What Are We Missing? 137
  29. Part Seven: Wound Treatments: Let The Healing Begin
  30. 18. What Do I Put On This Wound? 145
  31. 19. Growth Factors And Engineered Skin: The Future Is Here 150
  32. 20. Adjunctive And Alternative Therapies 154
  33. 21. Surgery For Chronic Wound Treatment: When Cutting Can Heal 158
  34. Part Eight: Wounds In Specific Populations And Conditions
  35. 22. Nervous System Damage: Spinal Cord Injury, Spina Bifida, and Multiple Sclerosis 171
  36. 23. Healing Challenges and The Older Person 181
  37. 24. Children And Teenagers 185
  38. 25. Wounds In Dark Skin 190
  39. 26. Wounds And Excess Weight 196
  40. 27. Solutions To Stoma Struggles 204
  41. 28. Living With An Amputation 211
  42. 29. The Wounds Of War 214
  43. 30. Wounds And Cancer 217
  44. 31. Wounds In The Dying: When Comfort Comes First 221
  45. Part Nine: Beyond The Wound
  46. 32. Eating Well: The Healing Potential Of Food 229
  47. 33. Exercise For Wound Healing 236
  48. 34. Pain: The Burden Of Suffering 241
  49. 35. Skin Problems That Coexist With Wounds 251
  50. 36. Emotional Aspects Of Wound Healing: When The Wound Is More Than Skin Deep 261
  51. 37. Care For The Caregiver: Beating The Burnout 266
  52. 38. Online Medical Resources: How To Separate Clever Advertising From Effective Medicine 276
  53. 39. Payment And Reimbursement Issues: Who’S Picking Up The Check 279
  54. Glossary Of Terms 283
  55. Wound Cleansers And Dressings 287
  56. The Wound Patient's Bill Of Rights 289
  57. Additional Resources 291
  58. References 295
  59. Index 297
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https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300171723-036

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments xi
  4. Healing Your Wound: The Top Ten Myths Dispelled xiii
  5. Preface xvii
  6. Part One: When You Have A Wound That Won’T Heal
  7. 1. How Wounds Heal 5
  8. 2. Recognizing Your Fears 10
  9. 3. Creating Your Health-Care Team: It Takes A Village 16
  10. 4. Your Initial Visit With The Wound Team 24
  11. Part Two: Pressure Sores
  12. 5. Why Do Pressure Sores Happen? 35
  13. 6. Prevention Is Always Best 46
  14. 7. Beds And Cushions: Expensive Is Not Always Best 55
  15. Part Three: Foot Wounds: Diabetes And Beyond
  16. 8. The Foot Wound That Doesn't Hurt 67
  17. 9. Shoes And Socks: When What You Wear Can Be The Best Medicine 76
  18. Part Four: Blood Circulation: Essential For Healing
  19. 10. Venous Wounds: Dealing With Foot And Leg Wounds If Your Circulation Is Good 87
  20. 11. Arterial Wounds: Dealing With Foot And Leg Wounds If Your Circulation Is Poor 94
  21. 12. Swelling: What Your Achy Feet Are Telling You 103
  22. Part Five: Acute Wounds
  23. 13. Healing After Surgery 113
  24. 14. Traumatic Wounds: Burns, Cuts, And More 120
  25. Part Six: Nonhealing Wounds
  26. 15. Infected Wounds 129
  27. 16. Unusual Wounds 133
  28. 17. Still Not Healing ... What Are We Missing? 137
  29. Part Seven: Wound Treatments: Let The Healing Begin
  30. 18. What Do I Put On This Wound? 145
  31. 19. Growth Factors And Engineered Skin: The Future Is Here 150
  32. 20. Adjunctive And Alternative Therapies 154
  33. 21. Surgery For Chronic Wound Treatment: When Cutting Can Heal 158
  34. Part Eight: Wounds In Specific Populations And Conditions
  35. 22. Nervous System Damage: Spinal Cord Injury, Spina Bifida, and Multiple Sclerosis 171
  36. 23. Healing Challenges and The Older Person 181
  37. 24. Children And Teenagers 185
  38. 25. Wounds In Dark Skin 190
  39. 26. Wounds And Excess Weight 196
  40. 27. Solutions To Stoma Struggles 204
  41. 28. Living With An Amputation 211
  42. 29. The Wounds Of War 214
  43. 30. Wounds And Cancer 217
  44. 31. Wounds In The Dying: When Comfort Comes First 221
  45. Part Nine: Beyond The Wound
  46. 32. Eating Well: The Healing Potential Of Food 229
  47. 33. Exercise For Wound Healing 236
  48. 34. Pain: The Burden Of Suffering 241
  49. 35. Skin Problems That Coexist With Wounds 251
  50. 36. Emotional Aspects Of Wound Healing: When The Wound Is More Than Skin Deep 261
  51. 37. Care For The Caregiver: Beating The Burnout 266
  52. 38. Online Medical Resources: How To Separate Clever Advertising From Effective Medicine 276
  53. 39. Payment And Reimbursement Issues: Who’S Picking Up The Check 279
  54. Glossary Of Terms 283
  55. Wound Cleansers And Dressings 287
  56. The Wound Patient's Bill Of Rights 289
  57. Additional Resources 291
  58. References 295
  59. Index 297
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